Radwell
1086: Watermill mentioned in The Domesday Book. Sometime between the dates 1627 and 1765 the mill disappeared.
1204: Earliest reference to a chapel at Radwell, known as St. James Chapel. By the beginning of the 17th century the chapel had fallen into disuse.
1728: First record of 'The Swan' as an ale house.
1765: Radwell Enclosure Act.
1766: Radwell Bridge built by Thomas Morris in 1766 for £292 10s, replacing a ford.
1807: Methodist Chapel built.
1821: Severe floods on Christmas Day bring down the walls of the bridge.
1825: Radwell Hall demolished.
1832: Radwell Bridge repaired at a cost of £139 6s.
1920: Major flood which engulfed Radwell bridge and damaged the raised wooden walkways adjacent to the bridge.
1960s: Methodist Chapel closes.
1972: Methodist Chapel sold and converted into a private house.
Sources:
- The Newspaper Cuttings Collection in the Local Studies Library at Bedford Central Library
- Victoria County History of Bedfordshire 3 Vols. 1912.
- Shrimpton, K. Felmersham : the history of a riverside parish. 2003.
Page last updated: 5th April 2007
